When selling products across the globe you invariably have to deal with the different metric systems in use.
To explain how SyncForce deals with different metric systems, we have to make a distinction between customer specific attributes, standardized SyncForce attributes (like those for trade items) and external classification attributes (like ETIM).
Customer specific attributes
For a while now it is possible to configure multiple Units of Measure (UoM) for one attribute, but when it comes to different metric systems, the best practice is NOT to combine these in the same attribute. Instead a duplicate attribute is created for each metric system with their own UoM options, like this:
- Weight (kg, g)
- Weight (lb, oz)
This provides compatibility with a lot of classification systems and gives flexibility in usage like:
- Storing both values for a product (not just one and having to calculate the other all the time)
- Option to make one metric system primary and have the value of the other always calculated
- Option to only have one metric system available depending on the classification (if that type of product is only sold in countries with that metric system)
- Option to set manage rights for only one of the two variants
Standardized SyncForce attributes
A good example of these type of attributes are the dimensions, volume, gross and net weight of trade items. For now all of these are only manageable according to the European metric system. In the screenshot example below you can see which UoMs are available for weight:
For depth, width and height the UoM can be set to mm, cm, dm or m. The volume is automatically calculated in m³.
With these being standardized it is possible to calculate to another metric system for any touch point, but you can't manage them in other metric systems yet. Would you like to see support for other metric systems? Talk to your implementation partner or post a message on the SyncForce Club.
External classification attributes
Different classification systems might use an alternative method than SyncForce to deal with different metric systems. Below a list of classification systems and a short description how they deal with this.
ETIM
Attributes, called Features in ETIM, have a unique identifier consisting of the letters EF (=ETIM Feature) followed bij 7 numbers when they are meant for the metric system. If that attribute is also available for the imperial metric system the code will be similar except the first number after EF is replace by an I (=Imperial). For example, the feature EF004563 would be in mm for a specific class and EFI04563 would be the same attribute, but then in inches.
NOTE: SyncForce currently only supports EF (metric) attributes for ETIM and not yet the imperial versions of these.